The Legend in the Water
by mistykasumi
Summary: Atemu gives Yuugi a puzzle that'll grant him a wish, and Yuugi wants Atemu, who scares him. Puzzleshippy. AU.


Disclaimer: Pretties no belong to me or me rich and find some way to meet Ian Thorpe. 

Notes: This is future!AU fic and is written for the one hundred and one nights of porn challenge. Duel Monsters remains a popular game because I asked Dia if I should keep it and she said, "Yes. 'Cause it's pretty." Story notes at bottom.

* * *

It's been raining more than usual. Rain isn't rare or even scarce because it rains all over Japan all the time, but this rain, it's continued for three months straight. If Yuugi were dramatic, he would say that he can't remember the sun, but he's not dramatic, and neither does he not remember the sun. 

Yuugi remembers the sun all the more fiercely because he's tired of the rain. The sky's a constant gray, and it has drained the cheer, the energy out of everyone. Even he's not his usual cheerful self, not to mention everyone else. People usually upbeat have dropped to a simmering buzzing, like flies that won't go away, and those usually miserable are all the worse, even more melancholy and rude than usual.

The rain knocks into everyone's senses, and no one can do anything without hearing the steady drone of the rain hitting some surface. It invades into classrooms, social activities, and even at night, when tucked into bed, Yuugi can still hear the rain falling ceaselessly.

The bullies are worse than usual. The rain has subdued them outdoors, but that makes them only worse when they're inside, protected from the rain. They're everywhere when one turns, hanging around some particular place, their voices louder and their hits harder.

Yuugi doesn't know whether it's coincidence or not. He's tempted to think it is, but as the rain continues, Yuugi grows less sure of himself. All he knows is that the day he met Atemu was the day the rain first started.

* * *

I thought he was my long-lost twin the first time I saw him, and really, who wouldn't have? He looks just like me except for these tiny details that most people would miss if they saw the two of us together from far away, and even when people who know me well first see him, they usually miss them, too. I know I did. 

He came in wet and with his head down, and I was behind the counter while my Jii-chan ran some errands. I didn't even really pay him all that much attention because, well, maybe he only came in to avoid the rain. Then, he came to the counter.

He asked me for some Duel Monsters cards, and when I handed them to him, I saw his face. I don't know how to describe what I felt. His black hair was down because of the rain, and though I saw the blond streaks in his hair, I paid more attention to the magenta at the edges of it. His face looked like mine as well, only his eyes were square and crimson, yet I didn't associate monster or evil with him at all.

At first, I thought he was my long-lost twin, and after that, perhaps my brother. He didn't seem startled to see that we looked alike, and when I asked him if he knew me, he told me no with a smile on his face.

Only when he had left did I allow myself to think about how handsome he was and how I would most likely never see him again.

* * *

Yuugi can't open his locker, and when he finally does manage to do so, almost everyone else has already left. He exits the building alone, and only a few stragglers are still on campus. But they aren't any stragglers—they are the bullies who the rain has stifled, and they have each claimed a piece of the grounds as their turf by unspoken agreement, staring menacingly at anyone who wanders too close or seems to be a good target and making rare alliances with each other. 

One such group loiters near one of the columns at the entrance of the school, and Yuugi has no choice but to walk past them on his way home. They are crowded together without any umbrellas, the rain wetting them and putting frowns upon their faces as they watch Yuugi walk toward them and then finally by them.

Yuugi's puzzle makes the briefest of glints, but even in the rain, the bullies can see it. They've all seen it, of course, because Yuugi wears it all of the time, and with the rain aggravating them more than usual, they want to possess it, strip Yuugi down.

"Give us the puzzle," the leader says, stepping out from the group and punching into his hand.

"No," Yuugi tells him, hands gripping his umbrella tightly. He sees the group all detach themselves from the column and step toward him, behind their leader, and he can think of only one option. Yuugi throws the umbrella away and runs.

* * *

He found me as I was walking home and followed me to the game shop, saying that he wanted to buy more cards. And he did, but he also stayed and just talked to me, and I didn't mind. I _couldn't_ mind. 

He offered to help me with my coursework (I'm not stupid, really; I just never try.), and I agreed. I wouldn't have refused, and two days later, as I was walking home again, he came up beside me and invited me to his apartment. I told Jii-chan that I was going to a friend's. I wasn't lying.

We did this about three times a week, and he's good. He's good at just about everything, and when I asked him how, he told me that his father was a powerful man and arranged for him the best education possible. I didn't ask for anything more, at least, not on that topic; I was a bit afraid to.

He's not secretive, really. He's answered all of my questions, and even if he doesn't answer with the complete truth, he has never lied to me. I just know that he wouldn't. Besides, he has no reason to lie to me.

He told me that he was an assassin for a while but that he isn't one anymore, and during that time, he earned the name Atemu, king, because he was the best, and that's his name now. Atemu. It fits him, really, because somehow, he speaks king to me. He exudes elegance and grace and an air of royalty.

Atemu-kun also told me that he wants to go to Egypt someday. He said he doesn't know why, but he feels drawn to it, drawn to the sun shining down upon the hot sands, the pyramids that stand guard over excavated tombs, and the river that flows through the country backward. I think Egypt fits him somehow, with his almost-creepy eyes and tan and hair and demeanor. He would belong as a pharaoh there.

He said that he liked to move around, participate in gaming tournaments, especially Duel Monsters, and I realized that the only reason that he was here was probably because of Kaiba-kun's tournament. That meant he would move soon, and even though I hadn't know him that long or even that well, I didn't want him to go. That scared me.

Of course I told my friends about Atemu-kun, or rather, they saw him before I could, and like the first time I saw him, they thought he was my twin as well, though they realized that he wasn't after seeing his eyes. Jounouchi-kun tried to persuade me from going with Atemu-kun by saying that we were to go to the arcade today, but I couldn't. It wasn't true, and I had already told Atemu-kun that I had nothing today after school. I didn't want to leave him, anyway.

My friends told me that I should stay away from Atemu-kun, that something about him just wasn't right to them, not to mention his demon eyes. The fact that I was already so attached to him scared me, but I couldn't stay away. He's addicting, like spun sugar, and I didn't know if I'd ever be able to let go on my own. But that's not what really scared me the most about him.

What scared me the most about Atemu-kun was that I trusted him.

* * *

When Yuugi hears footsteps next to him, he runs faster, panicked. The other person catches up to him and says, "Yuugi, it's just me," and Yuugi almost stops running until he remembers that a gang of bullies are chasing him. 

"You should get away," Yuugi tells him as they run together, side by side, breathless but not willing to give up. "They'll come after you for being my friend." Atemu laughs, smooth and low, and Yuugi continues, "I don't want you to kill for me."

"Why are they after you?" Atemu asks instead. "I've never seen anyone bully you after school. Does that happen often?"

Yuugi pushes himself to keep running at the same pace, knowing that if he can reach the game shop before the bullies catch him, he'll be safe. "They make fun of me at school, but no one's ever beaten me before," he says raggedly, the wind tossing his words away, "not since I made friends with Jounouchi-kun and Honda-kun."

"Then why are you running from them?"

"They want the puzzle," Yuugi whispers, and when Atemu hears, he stops in the street. Yuugi can see shadows at the end of his vision when he turns his head, but he stops, a few meters away from Atemu.

"Don't hurt them, please," Yuugi says, the rain sweeping away his words.

Atemu's lip curls. "In any other circumstance, I would, but _no one_ dares to take the puzzle away from you without comeuppance."

* * *

I was leaving when he handed the box to me. 

"Take this, Yuugi," he told me, holding the box out to me as I straightened up from putting on my shoes. I turned to him and looked at the box, gold with strange symbols carved upon it, and I knew that I couldn't take it, not something this expensive.

"Keep it, Atemu-kun. I'm sure it's very expensive, and I can't possibly accept this."

Atemu-kun laughed. "Yuugi, I'm not just giving you this box. It holds a puzzle inside. I know that you love your games, and I _want_ to give this to you, if only for you to remember me by when I leave. My father found this and gave it to me, and he told me that if someone made a wish on the puzzle before it was completed and then solved it, the wish would come true."

"Have you solved the puzzle, then, Atemu-kun?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No, but I've never tried. I never felt like the puzzle was meant for me to solve. It fits you perfectly, though, Yuugi. This puzzle has always belonged to you, and I won't accept a refusal from you concerning your _own_ puzzle."

I could only accept his gift, but it was more than that. He gave his puzzle to _me_.

* * *

Yuugi stops running and watches as the shadows become shapes and then solids, running toward them at full force. They stop when they see Atemu, though, and the leader steps out of the group, smirking. 

"You're his brother, aren't you?" he asks, malicious humor lurking around his mouth, and says, "You can't protect him, shrimp."

He doesn't expect Atemu to knock him down with one kick to the head, and as the rest of them close in on him, Atemu draws a knife, small and sharp. The bullies falter, but when the leader finally rises, spitting blood as he tells them to attack, they run at Atemu.

It's almost beautiful when Atemu fights the boys. Every move he makes is precise and fluid and perfectly clean, a sweep of the air and cutting of the rain as he brings another one to the ground, twirling his knife skillfully but never making a mark with it. He makes fighting look like an art.

When Atemu turns to Yuugi, the blade of his knife between his teeth and all the bullies lying on the ground and clutching different body parts in pain, Yuugi can only stare at him, stare as the rain soaks them both, stare as the rain transforms Atemu into a sort of god.

Atemu places the knife back into its sheath, tucked between his hip and the edge of his pants, and he runs toward Yuugi, grabbing his hand as he passes him. Yuugi lets himself be led behind Atemu, and Atemu laughs the entire time it takes them to run to the game shop.

* * *

The puzzle was harder than I had expected. I didn't know it was three-dimensional until after I started it, and when I saw the strange symbol on one of the few pieces, I wondered if it was a symbol of some god. I wasn't exactly wrong—it looks almost like the Eye of Horus, and didn't Atemu-kun say that he wanted to go to Egypt someday? 

It took me almost two months, but when I finished it, I couldn't be happier. In fact, I could scarcely believe that it was finally done. There it sat, solid and shining gold upon my desk, and my hands trembled when I picked it up. When I put the cord around my neck and felt the weight of the puzzle against my stomach, like a brush with a butterfly sometimes and leaning over Atemu-kun's table to look at his work other times, I just knew that everything would be fine.

The puzzle feels like it _belongs_ with me, like Atemu-kun said it did. It's like I've had contact with it before, somewhere, and I'm finally getting it back again. And this time, it's been blessed by a god. My wish would come true.

* * *

The two of you enter the house quietly, afraid of disturbing your Jii-chan and drawing unwanted attention from him. But you then notice the note left by him on your kitchen counter, telling you that he has gone to an archeology exhibit in Yokohama, and when you tell Atemu that you don't have to be cautious, he merely laughs. 

Then, a loud burst of thunder erupts, and when it stops, you are afraid that you've gone deaf. You see that all the lights in the house are extinguished, and when you turn the switch for the kitchen light off and on and off and on and off and on because maybe, maybe, just in case, they don't come back, and you know that you won't have lights for you don't know how long.

You feel fingers wrap around your wrist, and you know that the only thing both of you can do is to just go to your room and get out of your wet clothes. You lead him through the house, and half the time, you can't even feel his grip, like you're passing right through him.

As soon as the two of you are in your room, you lock the door, and when you turn around, you see Atemu raise his arms, shoulders pushing back, as he takes off his shirt. You know that he's only taking off _wet_ clothes, and you're supposed to be doing that, too, so neither of you get sick, but somehow, you can't get the word _stripping_ out of your mind, as if he's doing it just for you, as if it's a promise of something more.

You don't want to be caught looking because it'll be embarrassing, having to explain yourself, so you go look for a flashlight because daylight is fading fast and you're sure you have one in your room somewhere. And also, you're not sure you're ready to take off your clothes in front of Atemu, even if it means that you'll get sick.

When you finally find the flashlight and turn back to Atemu, aiming the beam at him, you find that the drapes on your window are already closed and that Atemu has just unzipped his pants, and he's looking straight at you. He looks deliciously rumpled with his wet hair and open pants and bare chest, and you're afraid, afraid that you won't be able to resist him. You know you're supposed to be taking off your clothes, too, but now, you don't think you can, not in front of Atemu. All you can do is stare at him.

Atemu walks toward you and takes the flashlight out of your hands, and then, all you can see are spots in front of your eyes, but you can still feel Atemu in front of you, as if you are in tune to him, as if the two of you have some sort of connection, some type of bond. You can hear his quiet breaths (you're barely breathing) as he asks you why the two of you need a flashlight, and maybe you are just imagining it, but his voice is just a little bit hoarse.

You can never remember, when you think back later, whether you feel his hands over your hips first or whether he kisses you first, all lips and wet and sweet and gentle and pretty and hot and _god_, is this...? You don't know anymore, not really, because you hadn't expected it like this, you don't remember what you expected, yet you knew it would be like this somewhere in the back of your mind because how _else_ can it be?

You let him take you, plunder you the way a king does, and you don't care how many people he's charmed with that mouth and how many people he's killed with those hands because it's all yours, and you don't care as long as it's all yours. You taste rain in the kiss, freshly fallen rain, but you also taste sand and fire and magic and battles (that's _Egypt_, isn't it?), and you think that maybe you're connected to Egypt, too, just like him, and even if you weren't, the two of you still have _en_, because how can you two _not_, especially after this?

You're in a daze when he stops, gasping for breath, and he's licking down your neck, like chasing a trail of sweet honey poured everywhere, soft and teasing and playful while his hands scrabble over your buckles, and you put your hands around his and help him, and _oh_. That'll bruise in the morning, but you really really don't care because you're his, and you don't mind showing it.

He throws your shirt and your puzzle somewhere and lifts you up, carrying you the same way a new bride is carried over the threshold to your bed, and you've forgotten how wet you are until you're lying on your dry sheets, your pants and hair sticky on your skin. Atemu's wet hair brushes against your mostly dry cheek as he nuzzles you, murmuring, "I've waited too long for this." You can only give an "un" back because there's nothing else to say or really, you don't know what else to say. You've wanted him for so long that it blurs in your mind most of the time, and you forget that you haven't known him for your whole life.

His pants drip water onto your stomach as he leans down and presses kisses into your skin, as if engraving some sort of pattern only he knows on you or maybe even preparing you for some sort of ritual, and everything he does screams Egypt to you, and you don't know why, but you know that you want this, him and Egypt and everything in between.

Atemu slides cool leather off of your raised hips, and you push at his pants, and every time you touch more of his skin, it burns you but makes you better, too, much more so than the cool air touching every part of your body. He kicks his pants off, fluid grace and arching beauty, and you push your hips up and then his mouth's around you and. And. And. So what you've heard wasn't wrong, but. No one's described it right to you because, yeah, it's hot, and yeah, it's good, and yeah, everything they said, but no one's ever told you about a sand-smooth tongue or a constantly sun-warmed pool or, or really, just about _everything_.

And god, it's so hot, and how does he do this and who has he done this to because he can't be this good naturally unless he can or maybe he is because he's a king right and kings are good at everything? And when were his hands this perfect and good and how does he move his fingers just right like that so you can't think and can only just ramble on and on and on? Did you just _mewl_? And he just chuckled, and _gah_, because you can't feel anything except the warm wet heat of his mouth, not even the softness of his fingertips, and you think, you think, this may be it, and you...

And it's not because now it's all gone gone gone and he's looking at you with a smirk on his face, and though it looks so delicious on him and only on him, you still want to wipe it off in anyway possible because how could he? But now, he's pushing your legs back, and you see the glint in his eyes, and maybe you'll wait and see what he'll do.

His fingers tickle, brushing against you like gently grazing strands of spidersilk hidden in some corner, and you giggle, but it feels good, too, and then he's pushing, and no one's ever told you about _that_. It hurts, it does, but Atemu's stroking your hair and whispering to you to relax, and you thought you already were but now you know that you can still relax more, so you do, and ooh, he's added another finger, and it doesn't hurt as much anymore. It's good, really good, and then another one, and if it feels this good now, you're almost scared to think of how it'll feel when _he_'s in you.

Then, they're gone, and you know what's coming, and there, you feel it against you, and _oh god_. Is it even possible to feel _this_ good? He's all the way in you, you can feel, and you think this must be how a puzzle feels when it's completed because you've never felt this complete, never felt this whole, even though you've never felt any emptiness, either, but then, how can you know you were empty until you are filled?

Atemu's going slowly, and you know he's teasing you, making you want it more, and you do you do, it's working, so you push back because you can't wait, how can he deprive you of what you both want, and finally. He can't wait anymore, either, you knew it, you just had to make him see that he couldn't, and now, he's going frantically, as if he's afraid that he'll lose something close to him if he doesn't, and it feels sososo good everytime he thrusts into you.

And _there_. Oh, that's it, and you know that this is _it_, and you think you're maybe writhing or spasming, you're not sure, because you feel light and airy and ethereal, like you're not in your body, but you're pretty sure that you're saying his name over and over and over again, and.

Wow. You don't know what to say. Everyone's said that it's complete and utter bliss, ecstasy, whatever, but they aren't even close. It's like falling and dancing under the desert sky and flying and soaring through the stars and playing in the rain and watching a supernova explode, it's everything big and beautiful and breathtaking.

He slams into you a few more times, and then, he freezes, one hand on your hip and the other twisting in your hair, and it should hurt but it doesn't. The expression on his face is so beautiful, like frozen desert gold, and he's whispering your name, saying it like a prayer or a miracle or something beautiful or like you're his savior or maybe all of it mixed together, maybe just a little of each or maybe all of everything, you don't know but you love it.

He slowly eases out of you and gently pads out of your room, and you want to go after him but your eyes are drooping and you can barely keep awake. You hear his quiet footsteps a few minutes later, and he's wiping you off softly, and you're too tired to murmur a thanks to him.

You're almost asleep when you feel the blanket cover you and Atemu sliding in with you, wrapping around you. You think somewhere in the back of your mind that it's almost like the two of you are old lovers, as if the two of you have some sort of a unique bond, as if the two of you have _en_, as if the two of you are meant to be, and that's the last thing you think before falling asleep.

* * *

I woke up with someone entwined with me, and I panicked until I remembered what Atemu-kun and I had done the previous night and realized that it was Atemu-kun. He shifted slightly in his sleep, drawing me tighter to me, and I smiled, snuggling into him. 

"You love me," he whispered to me, eyes still closed, and I froze.

"Yes," I whispered back, half afraid and half breathless as I realized that I did. He didn't reply, so I asked him, "Will you still be leaving?"

He chuckled softly. "I haven't planned to for a long time now, at least, not without you."

He was right. I just never knew that I would get _this_, what I've wanted almost ever since I met him, handsome, regal, elegant, powerful Atemu-kun. But I did. Some god blessed the puzzle, and it granted me my wish when I completed it. Atemu-kun wouldn't leave me.

I turned my head and looked over at my room, and though the curtains were still closed, I could see a sliver of sunlight splashing upon my floor, and I knew immediately. The rain had finally stopped.

* * *

Notes

_En _sort of means a connection predestined. People with _en_ usually become good friends upon meeting or keep bumping into each other.

I used Atemu instead of Yami as that is his proper name.

Why does Atemu take the flashlight out of Yuugi's hands? Because there's no point for it; they don't need to look at each other or even do anything in the room. He doesn't intend to kiss Yuugi; it's almost a spontaneous impulse except that he's noticed almost subconsciously the way Yuugi looks at him.

If you're wondering where the knife went during sex, Atemu threw it onto the floor before unzipping his pants.

Betaed by Dia.


End file.
